Gemcitabine: a new approach to treating pancreatic cancer.
OBJECTIVE
To review the clinical benefit and nursing considerations of the new anticancer agent gemcitabine hydrochloride in the treatment of patients with pancreatic cancer.


METHODS
Peer-reviewed publications, books.


RESULTS
Unsatisfactory tools for assessment of pancreatic cancer have led to the development of a novel end point, "clinical benefit," to assess improvements in disease-related symptoms and performance status. The first clinical studies to use this end point assessed gemcitabine, Results showed that 24% of patients on gemcitabine were clinical benefit responders compared to 5% of patients on 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). In patients refractory to 5-FU, 27% showed a clinical benefit response to gemcitabine.


CONCLUSIONS
Gemcitabine provides significantly better clinical benefit than standard treatment for pancreatic cancer.


CONCLUSIONS
Clinical benefit assessments rely on oncology nurses to classify the response to treatment in addition to managing the side effects.
Stephens
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D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003841:Deoxycytidine / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D006801:Humans; D009859:Oncology Nursing; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000451:nursing; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D000093542:Gemcitabine
D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; D003841:Deoxycytidine; D000093542:Gemcitabine